Thursday, July 26, 2007

Semi-Moving Up to the 110's

I seem to have gotten out of my downswing and things look like they are getting back to normal. After experiencing two 8 buyin downswings and a 12 buyin downswing over the course of 130 games, it feels good to have recovered from them through solid play and keeping my emotions in check. In the past, I most likely would have tilted harder and chased losses. I've come to accept that as I move up in levels I will begin to experience a greater deal of variance as my overall winrate declines. This was my first serious rough patch that I have had to deal with playing heads up. It is satisfying knowing that I legitimately worked hard and played through it.

I have been playing a ton recently. As of Monday, I had 3800 vpps that I still had to earn to reach platinum star by July 31. To reach my goal, I basically have to play 35-40 55's per day to get there. I've managed to get in 35 every day so far, but it has been turning in to a serious grind. Luckily I have managed to get my roll up over 3500, so I am starting to mix in a few 110's when I feel that I'm playing well and feeling confident. As of today, I still have 2500 more vpp's left to earn this month, but being able to mix in the 110's will help a great deal. Reaching platinum seemed like a longshot a week ago, but its definitely in sight now. 150% FPP bonus would be huge. Cash, Money.

ChicagoRy, Dboy, and I will be setting up a Heads Up coaching site sometime in the next month. I will definitely be posting more details over the next few weeks, so be on the lookout. We will review hand histories, sweat games with chat over microphones, post videos from a variety of buyin levels with audio, write strategy articles, etc etc etc. We will also have some of the successful high stakes players (200+) post videos and write articles as well. It will cater towards the lower buyin player (55 and lower) and should be a great way to improve your heads up game. Prices will be reasonable. If you put in the work with us, you will see results.

Hopefully by my next update I will have completely moved up to the 110's and be killing them.

GL at the tables.

Bankroll: $3,600
VPPs: 7,500
FPPs: 49,900

Wednesday, July 25, 2007

Chat banned on Stars

Title says it all.

I'll post an update tomorrow. Trying to reach platinum this month. Playing 35+ games per day is killing me.

Bankroll: $3,402

Thursday, July 19, 2007

brutal past 3 days

Over the past 100 games I've played, I have gone on easily my worst downswing at the 55's (maybe ever). At my lowest point, I had dropped 12 buyins (600 dollars). I would say 2-3 of these were due to tilt/frustration and could have been avoided, but otherwise everything was just standard sick variance. My bankroll was down to 2315 at its lowest point tonight before I turned it around winning 6 in a row. It felt great to put together a winning streak. I hadn't won more than 2 in a row in over 100 games. That is pretty unheard of for me.

So basically after playing 35 games last night, I am basically right where I was before I started at 2700. It was such a grind though and I really am happy that I didn't go on mega tilt or anything and chase losses real high or do anything crazy like cashing out. That is what I would have done in the past. Hopefully I can put these last few days behind and me and start taking care of business again. I know when I get out of this funk that I will be really happy with myself for sticking it out and playing smart.

The only good thing that has come out of the past few days are the vpps/fpps. It will still be a stretch for me to reach platinum this month, but I definitely have an outside shot at it.

Bankroll: $2,700
Vpps for July: 5,012/10,000 (platinum)
Fpps total: 45,048

A few fun hands:

Hand 1: I had been raising a lot preflop and he had 3bet me 5 times big and I folded each time. Then this gem happens:

PokerStars Game #11016682177: Tournament #55866560, $55.00+$2.50 Hold'em No Limit - Match Round I, Level II (15/30) - 2007/07/19 - 05:22:15 (ET)
Table '55866560 1' 2-max Seat #1 is the button
Seat 1: HokieGreg HU(814 in chips)
Seat 2: Jester (2186 in chips)
HokieGreg HU: posts small blind 15
Jester: posts big blind 30
*** HOLE CARDS ***
Dealt to HokieGreg HU [Ad Ah]
HokieGreg HU: raises 45 to 75
Jester: raises 279 to 354
HokieGreg HU: raises 460 to 814 and is all-in
Jester: calls 460
*** FLOP *** [Kc Qc 3s]
*** TURN *** [Kc Qc 3s] [5h]
*** RIVER *** [Kc Qc 3s 5h] [Tc]
*** SHOW DOWN ***
Jester: shows [Th Qs] (two pair, Queens and Tens)
HokieGreg HU: shows [Ad Ah] (a pair of Aces)
Jester collected 1628 from pot
*** SUMMARY ***
Total pot 1628 | Rake 0
Board [Kc Qc 3s 5h Tc]
Seat 1: HokieGreg HU (button) (small blind) showed [Ad Ah] and lost with a pair of Aces
Seat 2: Jester (big blind) showed [Th Qs] and won (1628) with two pair, Queens and Tens

Hand 2: I really hated this one

Table '55868636 1' 2-max Seat #1 is the button
Seat 1: HokieGreg HU (1610 in chips)
Seat 2: aimerif (1390 in chips)
HokieGreg HU: posts small blind 15
aimerif: posts big blind 30
*** HOLE CARDS ***
Dealt to HokieGreg HU [5h 5c]
HokieGreg HU: raises 45 to 75
aimerif: raises 75 to 150
HokieGreg HU: calls 75
*** FLOP *** [7s 9c 9h]
aimerif: bets 90
HokieGreg HU: calls 90
*** TURN *** [7s 9c 9h] [3c]
aimerif: bets 1150 and is all-in
HokieGreg HU: calls 1150
*** RIVER *** [7s 9c 9h 3c] [7h]
*** SHOW DOWN ***
aimerif: shows [Ac 4h] (two pair, Nines and Sevens)
HokieGreg HU: shows [5h 5c] (two pair, Nines and Sevens - lower kicker)
aimerif collected 2780 from pot
*** SUMMARY ***
Total pot 2780 | Rake 0
Board [7s 9c 9h 3c 7h]
Seat 1: HokieGreg HU (button) (small blind) showed [5h 5c] and lost with two pair, Nines and Sevens
Seat 2: aimerif (big blind) showed [Ac 4h] and won (2780) with two pair, Nines and Sevens

And last, but not least

Hand 3: What would the most grueling, obnoxious, frustrating session in the history of my HU career be without a misclick for my whole stack preflop.

PokerStars Game #11017403763: Tournament #55870787, $55.00+$2.50 Hold'em No Limit - Match Round I, Level II (15/30) - 2007/07/19 - 07:19:36 (ET)
Table '55870787 1' 2-max Seat #1 is the button
Seat 1: HokieGreg HU (1525 in chips)
Seat 2: RJRJ (1475 in chips)
HokieGreg HU: posts small blind 15
RJRJ: posts big blind 30
*** HOLE CARDS ***
Dealt to HokieGreg HU [7s Th]
HokieGreg HU: raises 45 to 75
RJRJ: raises 1400 to 1475 and is all-in
HokieGreg HU: calls 1400 (zomg eye hand coordination is hard)
*** FLOP *** [4s 8d 5s]
*** TURN *** [4s 8d 5s] [2s]
*** RIVER *** [4s 8d 5s 2s] [4d]
*** SHOW DOWN ***
RJRJ: shows [Qs Ac] (a pair of Fours)
HokieGreg HU: shows [7s Th] (a pair of Fours - lower kicker)
RJRJ collected 2950 from pot
*** SUMMARY ***
Total pot 2950 | Rake 0
Board [4s 8d 5s 2s 4d]
Seat 1: HokieGreg HU (button) (small blind) showed [7s Th] and lost with a pair of Fours
Seat 2: RJRJ (big blind) showed [Qs Ac] and won (2950) with a pair of Fours

Tuesday, July 17, 2007

Goals Update

In my first post on my blog, I set 3 goals that I wanted to attain by July 21, 2007. I figure it's close enough, so here are the results.

My Goals:

- Play 500 HU SNG's at the 30+1.50 level with a minimum ITM % of 60%.
- Play 500 HU SNG'S at the 50+2.50 level with a minimum ITM% of 58%.
- Total profit no less than 5k.

Results:

- Played 322 turbo/reg 30's. ITM: 63.5% ROI: 20% Total Winnings: $2,079
- Played 313 turbo/reg 50's. ITM: 59% ROI: 12% Total Winnings: $2,195
- Total Winnings: $4,274

When I established these goals I was 2-tabling the 30 dollar regulars. I'm now 1-tabling the 55 turbos, so I'm not playing as many games. I took several breaks throughout the past 3 months and had to deal with burnout here and there as well. I also played about 300 22 turbo's in early June after cashing out. I'm happy with the results overall.

On July 21st I will set up my newest set of goals to bet met a little over 3 months later (October 31st).

wierd day

Monday: 55's : 9 W - 5 L (+$194)

Almost all of my games today played out wierd as hell. 10 out of 11 games made it to the middle of the 3rd blind level. One game actually lasted 6 rounds (100/200 blinds), which is semi-rare for turbos. I played well to start the day, but was making some ridiculous moves towards the end of the day. I guess some days your instincts are on and other days they are just off. While I had a +4 buyin day, I really feel like I could have played some hands much better.

I'm taking a 10 buyin shot at the 115's when my bankroll reaches $3,450. I'm really excited about it because I feel like its my first real shot to beat the mid-high limit HU sngs. The only other times that I have played 100+ buyin games is when I'm tilting and chasing losses. I think I am definitely ready to beat the 115's with a 58%+ winrate. 2 months ago I would have been kidding myself to think that.

I'm addicted to NHL2K7. My Washington Capitals are 13-6-3-1 so far. I know you care.

I'm also rewatching the Prison Break series. If you haven't seen it you should check it out. Incredible show.

Bankroll: $2,926
VPPs: 3,987
FPPs: 42,841
2007 cashouts: $2,850

Monday, July 16, 2007

Solid Day

Saturday: 0 W - 4 L ($-230)

Sunday: 12 W - 6 L ($+285)

Got a decent amount of games in today. Played pretty well for most of the day and ran decent. Losing all 4 games I played on Saturday was tough, so I decided to take the rest of the day off. I'm going to try to get in 40 games over the next 2 days.

Bankroll: $2,732
VPPs for July: 3,745
FPPs for 2007: 42,475
2007 Cashouts: $2,850

Saturday, July 14, 2007

Grinding

Friday's Stats: 55's: 9 W - 8 L (+$12)

Today was such a grind. I started off the day playing bad/running bad by going 2-7. I really didn't tilt though, which I was definitely happy about. After taking a break, I came back and finished the day 7-1. It was definitely the complete opposite of this morning. My reads were spot on and I was running hot.

I was really happy about this call:

PokerStars Game #10929571037: Tournament #55413475, $55.00+$2.50 Hold'em No Limit - Match Round I, Level III (25/50) - 2007/07/14 - 02:50:29 (ET)
Table '55413475 1' 2-max Seat #1 is the button
Seat 1: HokieGreg HU (1240 in chips)
Seat 2: Farang0 (1760 in chips)
HokieGreg HU: posts small blind 25
Farang0: posts big blind 50
*** HOLE CARDS ***
Dealt to HokieGreg HU [Ah Tc]
HokieGreg HU: raises 75 to 125
Farang0: calls 75
*** FLOP *** [3d Qc Kh]
Farang0: checks
HokieGreg HU: bets 175
Farang0: calls 175
*** TURN *** [3d Qc Kh] [Th]
Farang0: checks
HokieGreg HU: checks
*** RIVER *** [3d Qc Kh Th] [3s]
Farang0: bets 350
HokieGreg HU: calls 350
*** SHOW DOWN ***
Farang0: shows [As 5d] (a pair of Threes)
HokieGreg HU: shows [Ah Tc] (two pair, Tens and Threes)
HokieGreg HU collected 1300 from pot
*** SUMMARY ***
Total pot 1300 | Rake 0
Board [3d Qc Kh Th 3s]
Seat 1: HokieGreg HU (button) (small blind) showed [Ah Tc] and won (1300) with two pair, Tens and Threes
Seat 2: Farang0 (big blind) showed [As 5d] and lost with a pair of Threes

Villain in this hand said that he was a 2+2'er, so I expected him to be at least decent. I had a very aggressive image and I could feel him getting ready to make some plays back at me. The few real pots he had taken down he had played 100% transparently and my reads were pretty accurate on each hand. I figured I was behind on this hand after he flat called the flop (maybe J10 too). When he checked the turn I figured he might have J10 Qx or maybe A3 because he seemed like a good enough player to not check top pair or a straight with such a draw heavy board and let me get there on the river. I also didn't think firing again was a good idea because I really didn't think he was going anywhere with Qx because of my image. Given this read, I felt like his river bet was either A3 or air because he hadn't value bet 2nd pair in several spots that I think good players would normally value bet. I call. NH.

I was really happy with the way I played today for the most part. Even though I started off the day playing relatively poorly, I didn't tilt, took a break when I needed one to stay focused, and came back and played solid poker.

Bankroll: $2,522

Thursday, July 12, 2007

Killing the 55's

I am destroying the 55's.

My stats at the 55's this month:

211 games played / avg profit $10 / ROI: 16% / total profit $2,013

My bankroll is up to over 2600 and the 110's are in sight. I'll probably start taking shots around 2700-2800 and move up for good when I have 30 buyins for the level ($3,450).

I can't wait to move up and give the 110's a shot since chiry and dboy have already moved up and are doing great. It feels amazing seeing these results because I really feel I have worked my hardest the past 3-4 months to improve my HU game.

If I move up soon I might have a shot at platinum star this month as well. I want to get the 150% fpp bonus next month so I can work towards having enough to get some badass stuff from the fpp store. A free 32" lcd tv, 24" monitor, and 300 in cash would really be nice for christmas later this year. Oh the possibilities...

I am feeling the complete opposite of monkey tilt right now. I need to remember this.

Monday, July 9, 2007

Return of HokieGreg's Blog

Hey guys! It's been a while since I updated my blog. I'm going to try to stop being so lazy and start keeping up with it more frequently.

A quick overview of my past 2 months with poker:

I cashed out a few times in June. Cashouts are sooo -EV. I probably cashed out about 3k or so. After several cashouts, my bankroll was down to as low as 300 in mid June. I went to Atlantic City for a week so I had to cash out a lot to have a decent roll for 1-2 NL.

I won about 1,000 in AC playing mostly 1-2. I chopped a 40+10 donkament 4 ways for 300 as well. It was a fun trip. If I hadn't spent so much on nice dinners and what not I probably would've cleared 1500. As much as I wish I had eaten philly cheesesteaks all week, I couldn't pass up sushi, thai, and 20 oz steaks. I also dropped a few hundred on roulette the last night when some friends visited....-EV. I hadn't made a non-poker bet all week. I knew the degenerate in me would come out at some point.

I was able to get inet connection at our beachhouse in AC and managed to "grind" my 300 roll up to about 950 while I was there. I went something like 40-8 in HU online while I was there. Nice to run good. And yes I played online poker in Atlantic City...kind of pathetic, I know.

After returning to Richmond, I grinded up to 1100 playing 30's. Since then, I have moved up to the 55's and that is where I am at now. I've taken a couple shots at 110's completely underrolled, but have decided until i have 2500+ before I attempt them again. I won 9 straight 55's tonight and my bankroll is at its most recent peak of 1900.

I'm also playing in a Heads Up League on 2+2 that was setup by ChicagoRy. 30 players are in the league (5 brackets of 6 players). Each player plays everyone in their bracket once in a best of 3 match. Anyone with a winning record over their 5 matches makes the playoffs. So far, I am 3-0 and have run pretty good overall. 2 of my matches were cakewalks and I had a tough one against Dboy that was kind of a tossup and I just run better than him. Hopefully I can make a run in the playoffs at HUL Champ...

Anyways, that's all for now. I'll try to continue to update every couple of days.

If any of you want to email me a HH for me to review and make notes you can email it to me at gtiller223233@yahoo.com. Otherwise, feel free to IM me at CAPS122 anytime if you want to discuss HU play in general.